Teacher aide Sandra Mattingley doesn’t like to admit she’s been around for a while, but she has – just shy of 20 years in fact. She’s seen quite a few changes in her time but still loves her job. She talks to Guardian reporter AMANDA DURRY about the role. February 20 2010

Sandra Mattingley and her position have come a long way in 19 years – that’s how long she has been a teacher aide at Hampstead School.

 Not only have the hours changed, the organisation, support and even training has progressed a long way since she fell into the position back then.

 “My children came to the school and I did my part as a parent help. The principal then offered me a few hours a week and that’s how it started for me. It wasn’t long before special needs children were mainstreamed and there was no real guidance.

 “Teacher aiding in the beginning wasn’t as organised as it is now either. Now a specialist comes in and helps direct you with what to do, which is great because teacher aides work with a whole range of children.

 “Having a motherly touch helps with the job as well because you work hard with your own kids so can relate to others.

 “I work with up to 10 children a day with various needs and you have to take a different approach with each of them. The job is a lot like being an actor because you often have to work to get their confidence up,” she said.

 For Mrs Mattingley, trying is her favourite word when it comes to children she deals with.

 “They will try something and think they haven’t done well, but I always say ‘you tried and you can’t do any better than that’. What we do is all positive and about encouraging them to at least try,” she said.

 Head of Mid Canterbury Principals’ Association Peter Melrose said teacher aides are an integral part of a school staff.

 “They work alongside teachers for the benefit of students and teacher aides are increasingly trained for a range of academic, health and behavioural conditions. The number of teacher aides has only increased since the integration of special needs students into schools.

 “Historically teacher aides might have been seen as teacher assistants, but nowadays they implement the work planned for particular students and groups. They have an increased independence but still work alongside teachers, parents and special education needs co-ordinators,” he said.

 When it came to pay however, teacher aides were overlooked, Mrs Mattingley said, because she feels people don’t understand the range of duties they have to do in a day.

 While Mrs Mattingley started with just a few hours, she now works about 22 hours a week, which includes playground supervision.

 Most of her time is spent one-on-one out of the classroom because she believes they work better without distractions. She works with them on things such as reading, spelling and writing, but working on social skills is also a big part of her job, including helping to build confidence.

 Any progress is a positive, she said.

“I just love it when I work hard with a child and see the glint in their eye when they make progress. It makes it really worthwhile and, as a teacher aide, you want to help those children so when I do, it makes me feel good at the end of the day.

 “At the start of my career, the job was never guaranteed because we were only employed on a yearly basis. We didn’t know if we would be going back the next year. But we did it because we wanted to be here and were willing to take the risk,” she said. The biggest thing for her was still enjoying the job.

 “At the end of the day, there’s always a waiting list and kids that can do with our help,” she said.

Pictured: For teacher aide Sandra Mattingley seeing the progress of children she works with makes the job worthwhile. - Photo Kirsty Graham 120210-KG-034